SACRAMENTO, CA (September 19, 2017) — Assembly Bill 7, a measure which criminalizes the carrying of a long gun in the unincorporated area of a county, has passed out of the California Legislature and is now on the desk of Governor Jerry Brown.

“The Second Amendment to the US Constitution clearly enumerates a fundamental right to bear arms. Nonetheless, the State of California has chosen to continue on the path toward completely eliminating this constitutional right in the Golden State,” stated Craig DeLuz, Spokesman for the Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC).

In the 1960’s, California took away the ability to openly carry a loaded firearm in an attempt to disarm members of the Black Panther Party, simply because they dared to exercise their rights under the law in protest of discriminatory practices by the California Legislature. The state would further restrict this practice in 2011, by eliminating the right to openly bear arms anywhere, except in the unincorporated areas of counties. AB 7, by Assemblyman Mike Gipson (D - Carson), would be the nail in the coffin, effectively eliminating the ability to openly bear arms anywhere in the state of California.

“In several jurisdictions, Los Angeles County for example, it is nearly impossible for an average person to be approved for a license to carry a firearm,” notes DeLuz. “So, if one does not have the ability to bear arms in the State of California, concealed or openly, how exactly is one to exercise their Constitutionally enumerated right to bear arms in this state?”

AB 7 is now on the desk of Governor Jerry Brown, awaiting his signature or veto.

Firearms Policy Coalition (www.firearmspolicy.org) is a 501(c)4 grassroots nonprofit organization. FPC’s mission is to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, especially the fundamental, individual Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.